Archives

Journey of an Irish Immigrant – Performance by Kit’s Interactive Theatre “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” For over a century, these words, inscribed on the plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty, have been the idealistic mantra that America, a nation forged by immigrants, has both aspired to and rejected. The image of Lady Liberty, lifting her torch into the air as a beacon while the ships sailed into the harbor, became a symbol of hope and new opportunity for immigrants seeking to start a new life in America. However, the journeys immigrants embarked on were rife with struggle and prejudice. Fearful Americans reviled and fought against every new wave of immigrants, and the Irish wave was no exception. On Sunday, March 11th at 2pm, Kitty Jones from Kit’s Interactive Theatre will be performing at the Florham Park Public Library, putting on an engaging and entertaining program, her one-woman show Journey of an Irish Immigrant. The performance follows fictional Irish immigrant Maggie McLaughlin and her sister as they travel from Liverpool, England to America, recounting aspects of the journey ranging from the harsh conditions and experiences on the boats, to the rigorous screening process at Ellis Island, to their treatment as Irish immigrants as they began their lives anew…